A vast, mainly desert country, Saudi Arabia has a long history. Named after the Al Saud family that began its rule in the 18th century, it is the birthplace of Islam. The founder of Saudi Arabia, Ibn Saud, expelled the Hashemite family from the Hijaz region in the early 20thcentury and subsequently established his own country in 1932. The Saudis now ruled over the most holy places in Islam – Mecca and Medina. With that comes a great deal of responsibility, and Saudi Arabia has been eager to portray itself as a bearer of religious righteousness. The Al Saud dynasty adheres to a strict interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism.

Despite the regime’s religious approach, it is still determined to clamp down on Islamist movements within the country. And Saudi Arabia has had problems with extremist groups before, not the least Al Qaeda, and there have been several deadly attacks. Part of the tensions stem from the fact that the Saudi regime is a key ally to the US. Osama Bin Laden even said that one of the reasons behind the attacks on 9/11 were that the US was allowed to remain on Saudi soil after the second Gulf War.

Calls for political reform have increased in the 21st century, and King Abdullah Bin Abd al-Aziz al-Saud, son of Ibn Saud, was forced to accommodate some of these demands in the wake of minor demonstrations in early 2011. However, Saudi Arabia is – even by regional standards – a strictly authoritarian state. The ruling family controls everything, and with about 4,000 royal princes the King has a strong group of kin that can help him rule his vast country.

The Al Saud family has oil to thank for much of its survival. Saudi Arabia is home to about a fifth of the world’s proven oil reserves, giving it enormous wealth and power as well as heavy dependence on oil revenues.